Internet of Things is highly vulnerable to attacks

HP claims the Internet of Things is highly susceptible to getting hacked or compromised. The company conducted a study that investigated 10 common smart devices, including thermostats, smart TVs and webcams. Nearly three-quarters of the devices tested were vulnerable, with each device having an average of approximately 25 vulnerabilities.

Many of the vulnerabilities had to do with a lack of password strength and weak protection software. Eight out of 10 devices failed to require passwords strong enough to be useful, and the same amount put users at risk of having their personal information intercepted via cloud services.

"Late last year, we were hearing a lot about Internet of Things, and a bit about IoT security, but had not seen anything that focused on the complete picture of IoT security," a statement from HP read. "So, we decided to start the OWASP [Open Web Application Security Project] Internet of Things Top 10 Project, which aims to educate on the main facets of Internet of Things security that people should be concerned with."